June is the month we celebrate birthdays – our Chapel family is celebrating 10 different people’s special day! We always delight in singing “Happy Birthday” to each one and several cakes have found their way to our fellowship meals. Kyle Hay has been fixing some outstanding food each Wednesday *we begin serving at 7:00 p.m.), including delicacies like stuffed potatoes, sloppy joe’s, pulled pork, brisket, pork loin! He is planning some special dishes for the rest of this month, and all are welcome to enjoy this fellowship with us!

We are hosting several groups in our Retreat Center. We have hosted A.J. and his family, James and Erin and friends, and are looking forward to Jessica being here for a week, and a men’s retreat at month’s end, and a Men’s Breakfast on Saturday, June 29 at 8:30 a.m. Early in July, we have 34 members of a family from the Valley coming for a week of relaxation – all our facilities will be full! Also, our good friend, Collin, will be bringing his family here soon. It is truly a blessing for us to be able to see people come here for a time to relax and see the transformation that happens before they leave! We are blessed to have our Retreat Center, and it being used frequently.

We were honored to be a part of Oil Field Helping Hand Fishing Tournament and are getting geared up for the Lone Star Shoot Out the later part of July. We could not possibly accomplish all we do if wedid not have the neighbors God has blessed us with. Daryl and Debbie and Dennis and Donna are always around the Chapel doing.
something that makes life much easier! They make it possible for me to sit back and watch God’s blessings in action.
We continued passing out food to those in our community who are having a rough time. The Service Club, people from First Baptist, and many we can not identify come by with items that continue filling our Pantry shelves. We received a grant from Formosa and spent almost all of it for meat items that we give out. We could not do this ministry without a lot of outside help – for you!

Pastor Joane and I continue our ministry to other congregations. We are blessed with several pastors – like Pastor Steve, Pastor Luke, Pastor James, Pastor Ted – who come along side Pastor Joane and me to assist us and minister to this local congregation. This allows us to preach at other churches.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation (which means that everyone who loves Jesus is welcome to be a part of us), who has been in Port O’Connor for almost 30 years. We gather each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for Bible Class; 11:00 a.m. for Morning Service; and 6:00 p.m. for Evening Service. We have a Spanish speaking devotion time each Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in the Retreat Center. We gather each Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. for a time of food, fellowship, and time for a special message from God’s Word. One will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel and all are urged to, “Come, Grow With Us!”

A group of 10 community garden plot owners recently came together to work on improving our garden. Thanks to a generous donation from SunRay, we received three piles of landscape rocks. The dedicated volunteers moved these rocks to enhance the shade structure, significantly improving our garden’s aesthetics and functionality.

Our garden site is thriving, thanks to the ongoing efforts of our gardeners who diligently tend to their plots and harvest their produce. The transformation is evident, with lush growth everywhere you look.

A heartfelt thanks to SunRay for their generous donation and to all the volunteers who contributed their time and energy to make our community garden a more beautiful and productive place. Your “ROCK STAR” efforts are truly appreciated!

Danny May from May Farms contributed quite an educational and comprehensive lecture to sixteen POC Community Garden Club members. He discussed topics from fertilization for optimal growth and production to pest elimination, crucial topics for gardeners.

Sharing farmer’s tales and insights into farming culture can be both educational and entertaining. He offered ideas for various growing mediums and provided examples of microgreens, which are becoming increasingly popular due to their nutritional benefits and versatility in dishes. He has many interests in growing through different mediums and had some microgreens for sampling.
-Darla Miles

On Saturday morning June 8th, a call came through the 866-Turtle5 Hotline reporting a sea turtle nesting near the Big Jetty on Matagorda Peninsula. The caller, Billy Hegemeyer, said, “We watched her come up the beach, dig the nest, lay the eggs, and return to the water. We have lots of pictures and video.”

In the Hegemeyer’s videos, you can hear Sarah Hegemeyer describing exactly what they needed to do to keep the turtle and her eggs safe. Most importantly, the Hegemeyers kept their distance so the turtle wouldn’t get frightened back into the water without nesting. Only after the turtle layed her eggs and was returning to the water did they spring into action. They carefully laid sticks and debris in a wide circle around the nesting area and then they called for help.

Calling the Texas Sea Turtle Hotline and pressing 3 (for Matagorda, Espiritu Santo, and San Antonio Bays) gets you to the volunteer coordinator for San Antonio Bay Partnership’s Mid-Coast Sea Turtle Rescue here in Port O’Connor.

Our organization was started because of the 550+ sea turtles that died in 2021 Winter Storm Uri when there was no rescue in our area. Since then, we’ve built a corp of local volunteers who respond to help cold-stunned and stranded turtles. Getting a call about a nesting turtle wasn’t something we were prepared for, but with a couple of phone calls, Moriah Tyroch was on her way up from Corpus. As a staff member at Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) and a volunteer at Padre Island National Seashore, Moriah is specially trained to find, dig up and transport sea turtle eggs.

On the Texas Coast, the primary nesting turtle is the Kemp’s Ridley, the smallest (2 ft, 70 to 100 lbs) and most endangered of the world’s seven sea turtle species. In the1970s the National Park Service at Padre Island National Seashore established a program to increase nesting and form a secondary nesting colony. (The main nesting beaches are in Mexico.) Dr. Donna Shaver, Division Chief, has spent over 40 years developing and running the program which collects, incubates, and releases turtle hatchlings back into the Gulf of Mexico.

When we arrived at the Hegemeyers home on the bay side of Matagorda Peninsula, they were excited to take us in their vehicles to the nest sight. Even with the nesting area well marked, it was a challenge finding the eggs. Using a stick, Moriah gently and methodically probed the sand feeling for the cavity. Once located, she removed the sand above it until she reached the first of the eggs. Gently, she removed each egg and placed them in the Styrofoam cooler that she had lined with cool sand. We all counted as each one was added. 80 eggs in total went into the cooler that was suspended by bungies within a PVC frame and padded with soft foam. Back to Port O’Connor and the eggs were placed in Moriah’s truck for her to deliver them to the specially designed incubation facility at the National Seashore near Corpus.

The park service conducts public releases and posts the announcements on the Hatchling Release Hotline (361) 949-7163 and on their social media pages.

If you would like to see a video of the Hegemeyer’s turtle nesting on Matagorda Peninsula, go to www.SABayPartnership.org/sea-turtle-rescue

Remember, if you see a sea turtle on a beach, dead or alive, call the Texas Sea Turtle Hotline 866-887-8535. All sea turtles are endangered, protected, and closely studied throughout the world.

Brigid Berger Texas Master Naturalist and Mid-Coast Sea Turtle Rescue Coordinator

 

 

Congratulations to Clay Brumfield for representing Calhoun County 4-H at the 2024 Texas 4-H Round Up – Public Speaking Contest in College Station the first week of June.

Did you know that in Calhoun County there is a place where people can go to get a free shower along with toiletries and a change of clothes? Located at 1504 West Austin Street in Port Lavaca, it is open to the public Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm to 4pm. The shelter is a 501-C3 and is funded by local churches, individuals, and the Memorial Medical Center. It was started in 2022 as a faith-based nonprofit and is staffed by volunteers. If you would like to volunteer contact Joel Flores at 361-550-9322.

The official opening date was March 5, 2024. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was June 5, 2024. Pictured are members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Oasis volunteers. From left to right are Ernest Yanez, Nancy Jaster, Cristal Fruedensprung, Monica Escalante, Judy Torres, Sasha Rodriquez, Joel Flores, Pam Flores, Laura King, and Cathy Buehring.

Since the Oasis Showers has been opened it has a regular flow of neighbors who need its services. The vision statement of the Oasis Showers is to refresh, to reconnect, and to restart individuals for a better life in Calhoun County. -Tanya DeForest